Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. This blog’s supposed to be about Qype doing London not Thailand or Laos or Nigeria or … But with this post about Berlin, I’m at least getting geographically closer to our beloved London. And in all seriousness, one of the truly great things about London is how well connected it is to the rest of the world. Just try to take a direct flight to Lagos, Nigeria from, say, Omaha, Nebraska. And the more I travel the more I find Qype to be a top notch resource for making the most of my trips. Besides, what’s a good multi-contributor blog without a bit of travel content?

This past weekend found me right back where I was last year at the same time: Berlin! One of my favourite destinations in the whole wide world, the capital of Germany is an inexpensive and deliciously fun city with an edge (and an efficiently Teutonic, incredibly clean and especially friendly sort of edge at that!). And visiting in December offers the added winter wonderland bonus of glühwein guzzling at Christmas markets. Oh Tannenbaum, Berlin’s a winner for festive season city breaks.

The catalyst for this year’s German jaunt was to attend the opening of a tiki-themed group exhibition at Strychnin Gallery. Happy to be part of the show as a contributing artist and to cover it as a correspondent, I had a blast mingling with exotically inclined artists and their retro-minded fans from not just Berlin but around the globe. Just as much of a hoot was the across town after show at Roadrunner’s Rock & Motor Club, where the tight and “wilde mixtur aus Rockabilly, Beat, Surf und RnB” of the Montesas along with the dance friendly selections of deejay Kahuna Kawentzmann kept everybody swinging for hours.

Conveniently located around the corner from Strychnin Gallery, Pension Hotel Lohwasser Berlin in the laid back yet still terribly happening East Berlin neighbourhood of Friedrichshain (think Shoreditch with much less attitude, many more squats and the lingering cultural remnants of decades behind the commie side of the Berlin Wall) proved a perfect (and perfectly inexpensive) base for the weekend. From satisfyingly massive meals at the unassumingly local Kuchen Rausch, flea market browsing in Boxhagener Platz and manic jazz ensemble gigs at a squat with a humongous performance space, there was much to love about my Friedrichshain stay and I definitely can see myself heading back again soon. I’d be more than pleased to return to the low key Lohwasser when I do.

Artsy fartsy endeavours aside, the weekend’s other main attraction was the Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas market) at Charlottenburg Palace. Sausages and other German delicacies (as well as treats from Poland, Russia and other nations), brass bands playing classic Christmas songs, lots of little festive gifts, plenty of glühwein and a general air of holiday cheer added up to a wonderfully festive evening of Yuletide merriment as well.

Don’t get me wrong. I still think London’s the place to be. But there’s a strong argument for doing Berlin … particularly in December.